Awatovi Ruins facts for kids
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Awatovi Ruins
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Scene at the ruins in 1937
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 Location in Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Location | Hopi Indian Reservation, Navajo County, Arizona, USA |
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| Nearest city | Keams Canyon, Arizona |
| Built | 1200 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000187 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 19, 1964 |
The Awatovi Ruins are an old archaeological site. They are located on the Hopi Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. This site holds the remains of an ancient pueblo village. It is thought to be over 500 years old. There are also ruins of a Spanish mission from the 1600s.
Explorers from Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's group visited Awatovi in the 1500s. Later, in the 1930s, a Hopi artist named Fred Kabotie helped. He was asked by the Peabody Museum to copy old murals found at the site. These ruins were named a National Historic Landmark in 1964. This means they are very important to the history of the United States. Even the old campsite of the archaeologists who studied Awatovi is now considered an important archaeological site itself!
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Life Before Europeans Arrived
Awatovi was built sometime after the year 1300. It quickly became the biggest and most important village in the Hopi area. People from the Bow Clan lived there. It was the largest village on a place called Antelope Mesa.
Awatovi was a leading village for many smaller communities. These included villages on Antelope Mesa and First Mesa. There were also villages at Homol'ovi near the Little Colorado River. This river is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south.
First Contact with Europeans
Awatovi was the first Hopi village that the Spanish visited and took control of. In the early 1500s, Awatovi was one of the largest and most important villages. It had already existed for about 450 years.
The first European to visit was Pedro de Tovar in 1540. He was sent by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado. This happened a week after the Spanish captured Hawikuh. There was a small fight when de Tovar arrived. But the people of Awatovi quickly asked for peace. They offered gifts like cloth, animal skins, and turquoise. The other five Hopi villages then also promised loyalty to the King of Spain.
The Spanish did not visit the Hopi again until 1583. The Antonio de Espejo expedition stayed for a few days. Then they traveled southwest. In 1598, Juan de Oñate found the Hopis ready to formally agree to be loyal to the King of Spain. Oñate visited the pueblos again in 1605. Captain Gerónimo Marquez visited in 1614.
However, the Spanish did not start a big missionary effort until 1629. In that year, Spanish friars built the mission of San Bernardo de Aguatubi. They built it right over the main kiva at Awatovi. A kiva is an underground room used for ceremonies. The Spanish often built churches over important native sites. This showed their religion was "supreme." Records show there were some problems with the priests at Awatovi in the 1650s. For example, in 1656, a young Hopi man named Juan Suñi was sent away. He had pretended to be the priest, which was seen as a Hopi form of joking.
During the Pueblo Revolt in 1680, the Hopis destroyed the church at Awatovi. They also killed the priests in other Hopi villages. The Hopis expected the Spanish to fight back, but no attack came. When Diego de Vargas, who was sent to reconquer the area, arrived in 1692, the Hopis seemed to promise loyalty again. He left without any trouble. Soon after, the Spanish rebuilt the mission of San Bernardo de Aguatubi.
In 1700, disagreements grew in Awatovi. Some Hopis had converted to Christianity. Others wanted to keep their traditional ways. By the end of 1700, most Hopis were very angry at the Christian converts in Awatovi. This led to the destruction of the pueblo. The attackers killed the men at Awatovi. The women and children were sent to live in other villages. The site was never lived in again after that.
What Happened After Awatovi Was Left Empty
Important early studies at Awatovi were done by Jesse Walter Fewkes in the 1890s. Later, in the 1930s, J. O. Brew led large archaeological digs. These were for the Peabody Museum. Brew's huge collections of artifacts and records are kept at the Peabody Museum. Most of the places he dug have been filled back in.
Not all Hopi people agreed with the Awatovi excavations. Awatovi was left empty for a reason. By 1939, the site was directly under Hopi control. The tribe decided not to let the digging continue. The Awatovi Expedition started during the Great Depression. It ended because of World War II and changing times.
Many reports about the Awatovi Expedition were published later. A "final" report for the Awatovi Expedition has never been written. This project brought together many experts. Watson Smith, a former lawyer, joined as a volunteer in 1936. He became one of the most important researchers. In 1952, Smith wrote about the amazing painted murals found at Awatovi. These murals were in the kivas, which are underground ceremonial rooms.
For several years, researchers at the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) have been studying these murals. They also study pottery paintings from the Hopi and other Pueblo peoples. They hope to create a traveling exhibit. In 2005, the MNA and the Hopi Tribe signed an agreement. This allowed the project to move forward.
- Watson Smith, Kiva Mural Decorations at Awatovi and Kawaika-a, with a Survey of Other Wall Paintings in the Pueblo Southwest, Papers of the Peabody Museum, 2006 reprint ISBN: 978-0-87365-126-4
- Hester A. Davis,Remembering Awatovi: The Story of an Archaeological Expedition in Northern Arizona, 1935-1939, Peabody Museum Monographs. 2008 reprint ISBN: 978-0-87365-911-6
See also
In Spanish: Ruinas de Awatovi para niños
